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Vaica Medical has developed a programmable pill box for those taking a complicated regiment of pills. The Smart Pillbox contains a grid of boxes for a week with four scheduled times a day. The unit plugs into the phone line and is programmed by a provider to call the patient and notify which compartment holds the right pills for that day and time.

The SimpleMed ™ system reminds the user both visually and audibly to take his/her medication at the right time.

SimpleMed ™ also features a panic button with a 2 way communication system. All events are logged and sent periodically to the monitoring center and caregivers.

I recently discovered a comprehensive website called "Consumer Guide to Dentistry" that includes information about senior dentistry and dental health.

Dental care for seniors involves unique considerations. Seniors are more likely to suffer from a host of oral health issues resulting from the natural aging process, their inability to receive proper oral health care due to financial constraints (no dental insurance) or their inability to provide adequate dental hygiene care for themselves.

These factors, combined with the limited dental benefits provided by state aid programs for the aged, blind or disabled, leave many seniors at risk of ignoring tooth decay and tooth infection until there is no alternative but tooth extraction -- which is the only dental procedure covered by many state aid programs such as Medicaid or Medicare.

Tooth Loss, Periodontal Disease and Other Dental Concerns for Seniors

Prior to tooth loss, seniors may experience tooth sensitivity or discoloration due to a loss of enamel and dentin (hard, calcareous tissue beneath the enamel), or root deterioration caused by gum recession.

Seniors are more prone to periodontal disease (gum disease) resulting from improper dental hygiene practices, poor diet, ill-fitting dental appliances and/or diseases such as cancer or diabetes. In fact, the supporting bone structure for the teeth, including the jaw, may shift, which can play havoc on a senior's bite and may contribute to tooth decay.

Seniors are also more likely to suffer from inflammation of gum tissue, dry mouth syndrome (often caused by medications) or oral thrush (a fungal disease causing ulcers and whitish spots on membranes of the mouth due to its effect on the immune system).

Dental Hygiene for Seniors

• Brush, floss and rinse with mouthwash properly to maintain dental hygiene, as instructed by your dentist.
• Look into special toothbrushes to clean hard-to-reach areas of the mouth.
• Know the warning signs that indicate your mouth, teeth or gums may be in jeopardy, including tooth sensitivity, teeth grinding, pain, mouth sores, bumps (see oral cancer), swelling, loose teeth, jaw popping or clicking, difficulty quenching thirst, swallowing or chewing (dry mouth syndrome).
• Visit your dentist as often as he or she recommends for regular dental hygiene checkups.
• Maintain dental appliances such as dentures and dental bridges properly.
• Consider seeing your dentist before and after surgery.
• Tell your dentist about any medications that you are taking or changes to medication.

This website provides Dental Hygiene suggestions for Seniors, as well as an online dentist LOCATOR:  YourDentistryGuide.com

At the National Alliance for Caregiving's Lotsa Helping Hands website, visitors may create their own caregiving site to coordinate support needed for the caregiver and care recipient.

Most of us have experienced the crisis of a friend or loved one suddenly unable to function as they had for their family or themselves. Perhaps it's a debilitating illness, or post-surgery rehabilitation necessitating weeks or months of bed rest.

In many instances of long-term family caregiving or caring for an aging loved one, those affected must also cope with finding support for meal preparation, grocery shopping, transportation for themselves and their dependent family members.

But it is often difficult for patients and family caregivers to ask for help. And if help is offered, managing that help can be a significant part-time job: coordinating family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, and church or synagogue members who do not all know each other can be complex and time-consuming, with endless phone tag and forgotten commitments.

Private Group Calendar for Sharing Caregiver Tasks

Lotsa Helping Hands is a free caregiving coordination web service that provides a private, group calendar where tasks for which a caregiver needs assistance can be posted. Family and friends may visit the site and sign up online for a task.

The website generates a summary report showing who has volunteered for which tasks and which tasks remain unassigned. The site tracks each task and notification and reminder emails are sent to the appropriate parties.

To sign up for a free Lotsa Helping Hands account or to learn more, please visit the National Alliance for Caregiving's Lotsa Helping Hands website.

During a patient stay in a hospital, nursing home, or other health care setting, the staff will work with you to plan for the patient discharge. The patient and their caregiver are important members of the planning team. This is a checklist of important things you should know to plan for a safe discharge. To view the checklist, click here.

Examples of the items in the checklist include:

1.  Who will you contact to get care after you are discharged?

2. Do you understand your health condition(s)?

3. Do you know what problems to watch for...and how to handle them?

Check the checklist for more details.

Public agencies have resources available such as home-delivered meals and rides to appointments. Ask a social worker at your health care provider for more information about the local community services and support available in your area.

Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs)
Assist adults age 60 and older and their caregivers.  Call the Eldercare Locator at 800-677-1116 weekdays or visit their website at www.ElderCare.gov

Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs)
Assist people of all incomes and ages in 43 states.  Check the website to see if your area is served:  www.adrc-tae.org

Centers for Independent Living (CILs)
Assist people with disabilities. A state directory can be found at www.ilru.org

State Technology  Assistance Project
Information on medical equipment and assistive technology.  Contact the RESNA - Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America to get contact info for your state.  www.resna.org

State Medicaid Agency
Information about Medicaid. To find your local office visit www.nasmd.org/links/links.asp. It has a clickable map of the US.

Medicare
Call 1-800-Medicare (800-633-4227) or visit www.medicare.gov/LongTermCare/Static?Counseling.asp